New Head Lynx Touch Review

JaviC

JaviC

New User
First of all, thank you Michelle for letting me try Lynx Touch 17G on my Head Graphene 360+ Prestige Pro.

Quick Disclaimer: I am not a professional tennis player, nor have perfect Federer Strokes, but hopefully you find this review helpful.

Strings

Stringing
Lynx Touch 17G comes in a grayish color with a glossy finish/texture (hopefully you can see it on the picture above.) I thought this would of caused me a slipping problem when stringing, but on the contrary the glossy finish helped me weave a lot faster on the crosses. From the limited amount of strings I have used, they behave like confidential in the way that its firm when stringing, but Lynx Touch can stretch a bit more than Confidential. I strung a full bed of Lynx Touch on my Head Graphene 360+ Prestige Pro @49lbs. (recommendations later in the review)

Playability
Racquet
In my opinion, this string is more for players that want a soft string with the best ball pocketing I have ever experienced on any string. You will need to bring your own power, since I felt that the combination of my Prestige Pro and full bed of Lynx Touch wasn't giving me the power I needed, but you can count on the strings to keep the ball in the court. This string is great for players suffering with any arm issues, because the soft feeling of the string bed and the ball pocketing didn't cause any issues at all. Spin wise, I felt that it was there, but it wasn't on the levels of Hyper G or even Lynx Tour. In the future I would of liked to try it out in a hybrid setup!

Afterthoughts
If I had the chance to try Lynx Touch again, I would try it on a higher tension than 49lbs, or I would highly recommend a hybrid setup with Lynx Touch on the crosses just for how soft the string behaves and ball pocketing. The glossy finish I was talking about completely went away after a few hitting sessions (I might of just gotten an early batch glossier string.)

In closing, Head Lynx Touch offers the best ball pocketing string I have ever tried, and would highly recommend it on any hybrid setup.

I hope everyone has Great Holidays and a Happy New Year! :)

-Javi C
 
Thanks for the review! I hope to get my sample set strung up near the end of the month and post my inital thoughts and full review after.
May I ask, why would you would a higher tension if you didn't get the power you needed?
 
cd3768 said:
Thanks for the review! I hope to get my sample set strung up near the end of the month and post my inital thoughts and full review after.
May I ask, why would you would a higher tension if you didn't get the power you needed?
Click to expand...
The string felt very soft. In my head, higher tension is more control of course, but being how soft it is I wanted to try higher tension and see if I swing harder, the ball would still stay in the court or not. It also didn’t cause any arm problems, so I wanted to see if I strung it higher I could get better results without having to worry about any injuries to my arm. Of course I tried to swing harder on my current setup, but I just felt the ball pocketed too well at lower than 50lbs and didn’t get the “springy” effect on the string bed that you would usually get on power strings.
 
Ah so, too soft for your liking?
I'm at a crossroads with tension now. I would drop tension a couple pounds because it's cold where I am but I could increase tension to account for the softness. If I add multiple sets (for free haha) I would experiment with the tension.
But because this is somewhat of a playtest, I'll keep it at my typical tension and give my thoughts from there.
Thing is, which racquet to put it in? :))
 
cd3768 said:
Ah so, too soft for your liking?
I'm at a crossroads with tension now. I would drop tension a couple pounds because it's cold where I am but I could increase tension to account for the softness. If I add multiple sets (for free haha) I would experiment with the tension.
But because this is somewhat of a playtest, I'll keep it at my typical tension and give my thoughts from there.
Thing is, which racquet to put it in? :))
Click to expand...
Haha I feel what you are saying. I'm curious as to how it plays other than the Prestige line (Known for control of course), like the Speed,Gravity. I will keep looking out for your review later in the year/early next year :) Have great Holidays! :)
 
JaviC said:
First of all, thank you Michelle for letting me try Lynx Touch 17G on my Head Graphene 360+ Prestige Pro.

Quick Disclaimer: I am not a professional tennis player, nor have perfect Federer Strokes, but hopefully you find this review helpful.

Strings

Stringing
Lynx Touch 17G comes in a grayish color with a glossy finish/texture (hopefully you can see it on the picture above.) I thought this would of caused me a slipping problem when stringing, but on the contrary the glossy finish helped me weave a lot faster on the crosses. From the limited amount of strings I have used, they behave like confidential in the way that its firm when stringing, but Lynx Touch can stretch a bit more than Confidential. I strung a full bed of Lynx Touch on my Head Graphene 360+ Prestige Pro @49lbs. (recommendations later in the review)

Playability
Racquet
In my opinion, this string is more for players that want a soft string with the best ball pocketing I have ever experienced on any string. You will need to bring your own power, since I felt that the combination of my Prestige Pro and full bed of Lynx Touch wasn't giving me the power I needed, but you can count on the strings to keep the ball in the court. This string is great for players suffering with any arm issues, because the soft feeling of the string bed and the ball pocketing didn't cause any issues at all. Spin wise, I felt that it was there, but it wasn't on the levels of Hyper G or even Lynx Tour. In the future I would of liked to try it out in a hybrid setup!

Afterthoughts
If I had the chance to try Lynx Touch again, I would try it on a higher tension than 49lbs, or I would highly recommend a hybrid setup with Lynx Touch on the crosses just for how soft the string behaves and ball pocketing. The glossy finish I was talking about completely went away after a few hitting sessions (I might of just gotten an early batch glossier string.)

In closing, Head Lynx Touch offers the best ball pocketing string I have ever tried, and would highly recommend it on any hybrid setup.

I hope everyone has Great Holidays and a Happy New Year! :)

-Javi C
Click to expand...

Please update this thread periodically with how the string plays through it usable lifespan and when you eventually either break it or cut it out!
 
Icedorb217 said:
What is your normal string of choice?
Click to expand...
Hard to say honestly, I change strings so often just testing them out. Most recent one was Prince Diablo 17, before that was IsoSpeed Baseline Control 16 Reel, Kirschbaum Flash 17 Orange, Kirschbaum flash 17 Yellow, Head Lynx Tour 17, Dunlop Explosive Speed... I wouldn't say string of choice but I have been playing with Baseline Control since I have a reel of it, but I would go for 17-18 instead of 16 for my play style. I liked how they all play, since they have their own strengths/weaknesses.
 
gold325 said:
Please update this thread periodically with how the string plays through it usable lifespan and when you eventually either break it or cut it out!
Click to expand...
Thanks for commenting Gold! 2 1/2 weeks in so far, and was thinking of cutting it out, but with not being able to play from the cold weather in early mornings I might leave it for another week or two. I have a set of Prince Diablo 17L and am very curious as how it plays vs the thicker gauges, want to see if I get added power. Playability wise on the Head Lynx Touch 2 1/2 weeks in you still get 100% ball pocketing of the string from the first moment it was strung, but it did lose a bit of tension, but not a lot honestly. If I didn't have string to test out, and didn't have a stringing machine of my own, its definitely a string that holds its properties well! I would just recommend it in a hybrid setup, for my game I just need that little extra power that another string might give me on my Graphene 360+ Prestige Pro frame. Quick Disclaimer: I am not a person that breaks strings, and I re-string 2-3 weeks in anyways, so wouldn't know if string breaks easily (In my opinion it won't, just because when I was stringing it was very firm like Confidential) that's why I tend to go to 17-18 Gauges. Happy Holidays! :)
 
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I just dropped a racquet off for full bed lynx touch. Should I call and have them do it with an NG hybrid?
 
JaviC said:
Haha I feel what you are saying. I'm curious as to how it plays other than the Prestige line (Known for control of course), like the Speed,Gravity. I will keep looking out for your review later in the year/early next year :) Have great Holidays! :)
Click to expand...
-last week i strung a head.gravity.PRO(18/20) with h.lynx.TOUCH at 60lbs
-it was one of my buddies racquets, and got a chance to test it
-i had to wait a couple days, but got to hit it eventually, i was curious what 60lbs would feel like on it
-initially i was concerned about the discomfort at 60s (it does have a poly outer layer after all)
-it was surprisingly good-okay at 60lbs (on a tight 18/20 frame)
-i personally would string that racquet at 57-58lbs
-my ball was landing a bit past the service box, so drooping to 57-58 lbs would be closer to the perfect spot (about 2-3' from the service line)
-now, if i was stringing h.lynx.TOUUCH on a 16/19 pattern stick, i think 60lbs would be good-great

-this is my time stringign this string
-last month or so i strung my blade.98 v6 (18/20) at about 50lbs
-it was a bit too soft, i told myself i would go up 4-6lbs next time (if i recall correct)

-IMO, this string is a bit/slightly stiffer than a synthetic string, but again, very, very, very close
-on a h.SPEED.pro i would string at 57-58lbs, IMO
-hope that helps
 
1HBHfanatic said:
-last week i strung a head.gravity.PRO(18/20) with h.lynx.TOUCH at 60lbs
-it was one of my buddies racquets, and got a chance to test it
-i had to wait a couple days, but got to hit it eventually, i was curious what 60lbs would feel like on it
-initially i was concerned about the discomfort at 60s (it does have a poly outer layer after all)
-it was surprisingly good-okay at 60lbs (on a tight 18/20 frame)
-i personally would string that racquet at 57-58lbs
-my ball was landing a bit past the service box, so drooping to 57-58 lbs would be closer to the perfect spot (about 2-3' from the service line)
-now, if i was stringing h.lynx.TOUUCH on a 16/19 pattern stick, i think 60lbs would be good-great

-this is my time stringign this string
-last month or so i strung my blade.98 v6 (18/20) at about 50lbs
-it was a bit too soft, i told myself i would go up 4-6lbs next time (if i recall correct)

-IMO, this string is a bit/slightly stiffer than a synthetic string, but again, very, very, very close
-on a h.SPEED.pro i would string at 57-58lbs, IMO
-hope that helps
Click to expand...
Its interesting you say you would do 60lbs on a 16/19 stick! I felt like I needed a higher tension on the prestige pro @49. Maybe thats the way to go, but honestly who knows....
 
At the risk of throwing a monkey wrench into this…

I strung up my Ezone 100 w/ a set of Lynx touch 17 at 48lbs (my usual tension) 3 weeks ago. First day out with it I had a doubles match. Really did not like it. Muted, dead, lacked feel, zero spin. Considered cutting it out.

Didn’t play again for a week. When I did, I was pleasantly surprised. The deadness was mostly gone. Really soft and forgiving actually. Wasn’t a monster spin producer, but that’s not my game anyway. It was more than “passable.” I was intrigued. Launched a few balls, but that seemed more “user error,” than the string’s fault.

Took another week off, and hit singles with the same racquet yesterday. Wow. Shocked that this thing hasn’t given up the ghost yet. Sure, it was even looser. But it really felt great. I could swing out and not worry about any sort of discomfort.

This is an interesting offering. Not really sure what I’d do next time stringing it. I guess I’d either string it at 48 and let it sit for a few days. Or, if I had to play sooner than later, I might string it looser - maybe 45 or so.

FWIW, I tend to string on the looser side of what most folks seem to enjoy. So take that into consideration.
 
@am1899
-i agree
-not much spin from H.L.TOUCH
-the mainline story of this string is COMFORT
-the slick outer coating and/or the soft material/s don't add to a "biting" string setup
-how would you compare this string to a regular synthetic gut string??
 
1HBHfanatic said:
@am1899
-i agree
-not much spin from H.L.TOUCH
-the mainline story of this string is COMFORT
-the slick outer coating and/or the soft material/s don't add to a "biting" string setup
-how would you compare this string to a regular synthetic gut string??
Click to expand...

I think there are some similarities:

Soft, comfy, slick, not a spin machine

But I also think there are some key differences:

Responds well to lower tension, holds tension well (especially considering how soft it is), strings don’t move all over the place, and when I blast a ground stroke or a flat serve it still provides that really positive “boom” response and sound off the string bed - which for me is just about unique to poly. Also better control than I would typically observe from a traditional nylon synthetic gut.

Definitely need to test it more, but it’s a pretty unique offering - at least in Head’s lineup.
 
Agreed with people’s experiences. Not spinny (for example, ALU Power is more spinny) but otherwise pretty playable. Not the string for me but it’s not bad.
Fullbed felt similarly soft as the NG+poly hybrids I’ve been experimenting with
 
Last edited:
1HBHfanatic said:
-last week i strung a head.gravity.PRO(18/20) with h.lynx.TOUCH at 60lbs
-it was one of my buddies racquets, and got a chance to test it
-i had to wait a couple days, but got to hit it eventually, i was curious what 60lbs would feel like on it
-initially i was concerned about the discomfort at 60s (it does have a poly outer layer after all)
-it was surprisingly good-okay at 60lbs (on a tight 18/20 frame)
-i personally would string that racquet at 57-58lbs
-my ball was landing a bit past the service box, so drooping to 57-58 lbs would be closer to the perfect spot (about 2-3' from the service line)
-now, if i was stringing h.lynx.TOUUCH on a 16/19 pattern stick, i think 60lbs would be good-great

-this is my time stringign this string
-last month or so i strung my blade.98 v6 (18/20) at about 50lbs
-it was a bit too soft, i told myself i would go up 4-6lbs next time (if i recall correct)

-IMO, this string is a bit/slightly stiffer than a synthetic string, but again, very, very, very close
-on a h.SPEED.pro i would string at 57-58lbs, IMO
-hope that helps
Click to expand...
Is it really that soft? I am on the TT playtest for Lynx Touch and I also will be using a GP for my testing and I usually string my standard polys at 51. You think 56 - 57 would be better for this string in that racquet?
 
jugheadfla said:
Is it really that soft? I am on the TT playtest for Lynx Touch and I also will be using a GP for my testing and I usually string my standard polys at 51. You think 56 - 57 would be better for this string in that racquet?
Click to expand...
-think of it like a synthetic gut string
-what ever tension you do synthetic gut on, thats what i would do
-even at 60lbs it felt good!! maybe a hair too tight 4 me..
-good luck with the playtest!!
 
JaviC said:
oooooo sounds like its worth a try! I would do Head Lynx Touch on cross and Lynx Tour on mains!
Click to expand...

trying lynx touch mains / hawk rough crosses first but will go that route next

just strung it. Lynx touch is a pretty slick string which i don’t like historically but we will see!
 
I am currently using Lynx Touch 17 as a cross with Confidential 17. So far it's been great! The hard outer "shell" of the Lynx Touch slides really well on Confidential with much less notching than a full bed of Confidential while at the same time softening the stringbed. Spin is at least as good as full-bed Confidential with the hard, smooth surface encouraging snap-back.
 
soulkeeper said:
what about stiffness rating?any info?
Click to expand...
I don't think anything quantitative is out yet, however it is noticeably softer than the polys I have used (tour bite, confidential, hyper-g). And being smooth with the firmer/harder poly on the outside (soft on the inside), it is a really great cross string!
 
Recently noticed the strings outer shell would crack during stringing (probably clamping too hard?) didn’t happen in summer so I guess the outer shell is more brittle when cold.
 
1HBHfanatic said:
-last week i strung a head.gravity.PRO(18/20) with h.lynx.TOUCH at 60lbs
-it was one of my buddies racquets, and got a chance to test it
-i had to wait a couple days, but got to hit it eventually, i was curious what 60lbs would feel like on it
-initially i was concerned about the discomfort at 60s (it does have a poly outer layer after all)
-it was surprisingly good-okay at 60lbs (on a tight 18/20 frame)
-i personally would string that racquet at 57-58lbs
-my ball was landing a bit past the service box, so drooping to 57-58 lbs would be closer to the perfect spot (about 2-3' from the service line)
-now, if i was stringing h.lynx.TOUUCH on a 16/19 pattern stick, i think 60lbs would be good-great

-this is my time stringign this string
-last month or so i strung my blade.98 v6 (18/20) at about 50lbs
-it was a bit too soft, i told myself i would go up 4-6lbs next time (if i recall correct)

-IMO, this string is a bit/slightly stiffer than a synthetic string, but again, very, very, very close
-on a h.SPEED.pro i would string at 57-58lbs, IMO
-hope that helps
Click to expand...


I strung Lynx Touch 17 on my gravity pro at 52/50 and played 4 hrs so far. I don't like the feeling and seems there is a lack of power, I think it's too soft. I will try to string it at 57 or 58, thanks!
 
I'm very surprised at how difficult this string was to put in a very tight 18x20 i. Prestige. I've never had a stiffer string to weave the cross-strings.
I have not received any feedback yet from the owner of the racquet but I won't be happy if the owner decides to stick with Lynx Touch.
Has anyone else had a horrible experience trying to weave cross-strings on an 18x20?
 
thatbackhandthough said:
I’m now using it as a cross string with VS Gut mains in my Austrian PT630. Oh my word… what a setup.
Click to expand...

Completely agree - I am using the same: VS Gut 16 mains with Head Lynx Touch 17 cross on my Yonex RDS 003 at 56/54 lbs. Incredible feel and power and suprisingly easy to control even as the Lynx Touch loses tension.

One note: I live in the UK and mostly play on artificial grass. These days in the autumn, the courts are often damp, which means I have to avoid the primary gut/poly racket. My current backup on damp days (also RDS 003) is Technifibre Multifeel 16 natural on mains, Lynx Touch 17 on crosses at 53/51. It's a bit stiff in the first three hours of play but then really settles in. Has a very different feel of course compared to gut/poly: less easy power on the mult/poly, especially for my flat first serve, but more accessible spin, especially for topspin forehands and my slice serve.

No durability issues on either setup. The VS Touch/Lynx Touch usually breaks on the gut mains after 30 hours or so. I have used the MF/LT setup for about seven hours now with no issues as of yet.
 
Thank you for the thread!
I've been pleasantly surprised with Head Lynx Touch 1.30 lately. I had a demo set of it laying around for a year, glad I finally gave it a go (after reading your posts)! This string is a quite unique poly: very soft, provides long dwell times and amazing control. Full bed of this string feels like poly/multi hybrids (I’ve been trying some poly-multi mixes before but never settled on one). It’s not a spin monster for sure but I’m not looking for that in my setups. Also Lynx Touch could be a great cross string in poly blends due to its slick coating, softer feel and allow spin monster kinda string in the mains like Hyper G or Lynx Tour to snap back faster and longer. I still need to see how is the tension maintenance and durability. Thanks for the reviews here, I strung 2-3lbs higher than normal with 10% pre-stretch and my Yonex RDiS 100 Mid 16x20s never performed better. I don't think I've ever hit dropshots, drop volleys and slices as confidently as I do now :cool: That TOUCH name was given for a reason!
 
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